PRE CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS > SPEAKERS
Stuart Hameroff
Quantum consciousness – biology, physics, spirituality
The notions that consciousness involves something more than electrochemical processes in brain neurons, that it could somehow also connect to a deeper reality, to all beings, and a cosmic wisdom embedded in spacetime geometry are termed quantum consciousness. In particular, the Penrose-Hameroff Orch OR model suggests that consciousness is a synchronized sequence of quantum computations in microtubules within brain neurons. The quantum computations are ‘orchestrated’ (Orch) by synaptic inputs and memory, and terminated by Penrose objective reduction (OR), self-collapses of quantum superpositions/separations in fundamental spacetime geometry. Thus consciousness in the brain is also a stream, or self-annealing ripples in the fine structure of the holographic universe.
This four hour workshop will cover:
• What is consciousness?
• Quantum consciousness, Orch OR and microtubules
• Decoherence and quantum biology - experimental evidence
• Break
• Applications to spiritual traditions and altered states
• Prospects for artificial consciousness – the ‘Quantum Singularity’
• Discussion – Q&A
Stuart Hameroff MDDr. Hameroff's research for 35 years has involved consciousness - how the pinkish gray meat between our ears produces the richness of experiential awareness. Studying anesthetic gas mechanisms, he focused on how quantum effects control protein conformational dynamics. Following an interest which began in medical school in the computational capacity of microtubules inside neurons, Dr. Hameroff teamed up with the eminent British physicist Sir Roger Penrose in the early 90s to develop a highly controversial theory of consciousness called orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR). Dr. Hameroff began the international, interdisciplinary conferences on consciousness (Toward a Science of Consciousness) as Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona. He has published five books and well over 100 research articles, and appeared in the film What the Bleep do we know!!?? www.quantumconsciousness.org
